METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING ON-SCREEN KEYS FROM BEING ACCIDENTALLY TOUCHED AND RECORDING MEDIUM USING THE SAME

• US 20100207894A1
• Filed: 04/22/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Tsuei, Yuan-Mao
• Granted Patent: US 8,416,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for preventing on-screen keys from being accidentally touched and a recording medium using the same are provided. In the present method, when a mobile device enters a communication mode, a user interface of the communication mode, which comprises at least one on-screen key, is displayed on a touch screen of the mobile device. Meanwhile, a protective mask is displayed on the touch screen to cover the on-screen key, and a function corresponding to the on-screen key covered by the protective mask is disabled. Accordingly, users can avoid accidentally touching the on-screen keys to make the mobile device perform false actions when speaking on the phone.

Claims

1. A method for preventing on-screen keys from being accidentally touched, adapted to a mobile device with a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a user interface on the touch screen when the mobile device enters a communication mode, wherein the user interface comprises at least one on-screen key; and

displaying a protective mask on the touch screen to cover the at least one on-screen key when the mobile device enters the communication mode, and disabling a function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key covered by the protective mask.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the protective mask on the touch screen to cover the at least one on-screen key comprises:

sliding the protective mask upwards from a lower edge of the touch screen to cover the at least one on-screen key.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the protective mask on the touch screen to cover the at least one on-screen key comprises:

displaying the protective mask on the touch screen in a translucent way to cover the at least one on-screen key.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the user interface and the protective mask when the mobile device enters the communication mode comprises:

displaying the user interface and the protective mask on the touch screen when the mobile device enters the communication mode from receiving a call-answering operation or dialling a phone call.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the step of displaying the protective mask on the touch screen to cover the at least one on-screen key, and disabling the function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key covered by the protective mask, the method further comprises:

removing the protective mask and enabling the function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the step of removing the protective mask and enabling the function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key comprises:

receiving a touch input;

determining whether the touch input is started within a display range of the protective mask;

determining whether the touch input is moved towards a specific direction if the touch input is started within the display range of the protective mask; and

removing the protective mask and enabling the function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key if the touch input is moved towards the specific direction.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the step of removing the protective mask comprises:

sliding the protective mask downwards into the lower edge of the touch screen to remove the protective mask.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein after the step of removing the protective mask, and enabling the function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key, the method further comprises:

accumulating an idle time of the user interface, and determining whether the idle time exceeds a predetermined time; and

displaying the protective mask on the touch screen again to cover the at least one on-screen key, and disabling the function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key covered by the protective mask when the idle time exceeds the predetermined time.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the protective mask on the touch screen to cover the at least one on-screen key, and disabling the function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key covered by the protective mask comprises:

displaying the protective mask on the touch screen to cover at least one first type on-screen key in the user interface, and keeping at least one second type on-screen key in the user interface uncovered by the protective mask; and

only disabling a function corresponding to the at least one first type on-screen key covered by the protective mask.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one second type on-screen key comprises a keypad-activating key and/or a call ending key.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one second type on-screen key is displayed in a specific region located at a lower part of the touch screen.

23. A recording medium, for recording a computer program, wherein the computer program comprises a plurality of program codes, and the computer program is suitable for being loaded into a portable electronic device to enable the portable electronic device to execute the method for preventing on-screen keys from being accidentally touched according to claim 1.

12. An apparatus for preventing on-screen keys from being accidentally touched, adapted to a mobile device with a touch screen, comprising:

a user interface module, displaying a user interface on the touch screen when the mobile device enters a communication mode, wherein the user interface comprises at least one on-screen key; and

a protective mask display module, displaying a protective mask on the touch screen to cover the at least one on-screen key when the apparatus enters the communication mode, and disabling a function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key covered by the protective mask.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the protective mask display module slides the protective mask upwards from a lower edge of the touch screen to cover the at least one on-screen key.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the protective mask display module displays the protective mask on the touch screen in a translucent way to cover the at least one on-screen key.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein when the mobile device enters the communication mode from receiving a call-answering operation or dialling a phone call, the user interface module and the protective mask display module respectively display the user interface and the protective mask on the touch screen.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the protective mask display module further removes the protective mask and enables the function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the protective mask display module further determines whether a touch input received by the touch screen is started within a display range of the protective mask, and if the touch input is started within the display range of the protective mask, the protective mask display module further determines whether the touch input is moved towards a specific direction, and if the touch input is moved towards the specific direction, the protective mask display module removes the protective mask and enables the function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the protective mask display module slides the protective mask downwards into the lower edge of the touch screen to remove the protective mask.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein after the protective mask display module removes the protective mask and enables the function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key, the protective mask display module further accumulates an idle time of the user interface and determines whether the idle time exceeds a predetermined time, and when the idle time exceeds the predetermined time, the protective mask display module displays the protective mask on the touch screen again to cover the at least one on-screen key and disables the function corresponding to the at least one on-screen key covered by the protective mask.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the protective mask display module displays the protective mask on the touch screen to cover at least one first type on-screen key in the user interface, and keeps at least one second type on-screen key in the user interface uncovered by the protective mask, and only disables a function corresponding to the at least one first type on-screen key covered by the protective mask.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the at least one second type on-screen key comprises a keypad-activating key and/or a call ending key.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the at least one second type on-screen key is displayed in a specific region located at a lower part of the touch screen.